Gen Petraeus (Ret) is often in the news. Does he have credibility in your opinion?

2016-06-12T02:43:26-04:00

Response by SSgt David Tedrow made Jun 12 at 2016 2:47 AM

2016-06-12T02:47:45-04:00

That's a pretty vague question. I think anybody that made it to the rank of General has some sort of credibility by virtue of rank and experiences.

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Jun 12 at 2016 2:57 AM

2016-06-12T02:57:36-04:00

Less so after his gun control efforts.

Response by SPC James White made Jun 12 at 2016 4:10 AM

2016-06-12T04:10:00-04:00

Yes Sir.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 12 at 2016 5:28 AM

2016-06-12T05:28:11-04:00

Not when it comes to gun control. The Surge counterterrorism & C.I.A. matters but what he is proposing leaves our domestic criminal a weapon and that is folly.

Response by SSgt Jim Gilmore made Jun 12 at 2016 6:36 AM

2016-06-12T06:36:42-04:00

After recent reports that he is joining forces with other anti-gun people to start a gun control organization. He has lost substantial credibility as a former soldier but not as a soldier.

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Jun 12 at 2016 9:00 AM

2016-06-12T09:00:33-04:00

General Who?

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 12 at 2016 10:39 AM

2016-06-12T10:39:46-04:00

He passed classified information to his female biographer who he was banging. She could have easily been a foreign operative and passed that stuff on to one of our enemies. I don't think she turned out to be but he did not know that at the time. He used to be someone to look up to until this happened but he was thinking with his lower head and not his upper one. Now he has also failed his DOD cyber awareness challenge.

So, now he has jumped into bed with the anti gunners I have lost all respect that I still had for him.

Response by MCPO Roger Collins made Jun 12 at 2016 10:52 AM

2016-06-12T10:52:51-04:00

Absolutely, if we confine our opinion to a successful military career.

Response by TSgt David L. made Jun 12 at 2016 10:53 AM

2016-06-12T10:53:06-04:00

He has tons. His career was (from what we know) exemplary, with one mistake. Compare this to the Liar, and he looks like a saint. He should run for President. Or maybe VP...

Response by Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen made Jun 12 at 2016 10:54 AM

2016-06-12T10:54:45-04:00

Yes, but not as much as before all the scandals. I knew a lot about the man, not the General, from living across the street from one of his aides when he was CENTCOM Commander. All his actions did not mesh with what I thought I knew about the man when the stories broke. Guess it's an example of what can happen when you latch on to the "inside the beltway" mentality. Still respect him, but at a much lower level.

Response by SPC David S. made Jun 12 at 2016 3:25 PM

2016-06-12T15:25:05-04:00

All depends on the topic - Benghazi yes - gun control no.

Response by SGT Jerrold Pesz made Jun 12 at 2016 5:25 PM

2016-06-12T17:25:31-04:00

Yes, most of the time.

Response by CPT Joseph K Murdock made Jun 12 at 2016 7:02 PM

2016-06-12T19:02:10-04:00

I think he can be salvaged.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 12 at 2016 10:56 PM

2016-06-12T22:56:03-04:00

Nope. He lost a lot of credibility with me a few years ago. His stance against freedom with Mark Kelly pretty much seals it for me.

Response by Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth made Jun 13 at 2016 9:15 AM

2016-06-13T09:15:26-04:00

I believe he has credibility. I also believe that it was convenient that all of his "indiscretions" came to light during the same time as all of the Benghazi stuff began to come to light. Amazing how those coincidentally happened!!! I believe he was the fall guy to cause a smoke screen and it happened for a while. None of us if we are really honest can say we haven't made mistakes somewhere in our career...Not as egregious as his but we have made them sometime in our career. I believe he has credibility because he was a good leader in uniform and a good military mind. Gun control in the civilian sector...probably needs to stay away from that but military topics and Benghazi, absolutely he has credibility in my mind.

Response by MAJ Philip Crabtree made Jun 15 at 2016 9:54 AM

2016-06-15T09:54:14-04:00

Absolutely not! His credibility is shot.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2016 1:56 PM

2016-06-15T13:56:00-04:00

Yes, I know he made some mistakes in his personal life and he has to deal with that. As a Soldier he was great.

Response by CPO Amb. Terry Earthwind Nichols made Jun 15 at 2016 8:38 PM

2016-06-15T20:38:18-04:00

No.

Response by CPT W Brown made Jun 16 at 2016 8:41 AM

2016-06-16T08:41:42-04:00

No.

Response by LTC Edward Gronet made Jun 16 at 2016 10:34 AM

2016-06-16T10:34:06-04:00

Who has not erred in one way or another during the course of their personal or professional lives. Are we all that perfect, living in a perfect world? To have had the positions he held and the success he had in them equates to some sort of credibility.

Response by Col Laurent Hourcle made Jun 16 at 2016 11:52 AM

2016-06-16T11:52:55-04:00

No, and I wonder what his/ CI A's role was in Benghazi. They actually had assets on the ground. Did they do anything to alert State/ DoD of increased threat? Why was CIA so interested in massaging the talking points prior to Rice going on TV?

Response by Maj Mike Sciales made Jun 16 at 2016 12:13 PM

2016-06-16T12:13:15-04:00

Good question. No, he doesn't. I've lost confidence in his judgment and integrity. He knew the relationship was improper and if he "didn't" he could have asked any JAG officer in confidence and been told "You need to knock it off Sir, that women is a "star chaser" the kind who will screw your brains out only because you are a General." The GOMO (General Officer Matters Office) files are filled with men who made the same stupid mistake, thinking with the little corporal instead of the brains God gave them. He embarrassed the US Army, the entire DoD and every single male who understood and abided by the rules. Let him be a teacher, just keep it to strategy and not ethics.

Response by SFC J Fullerton made Jun 16 at 2016 4:22 PM

2016-06-16T16:22:57-04:00

He was my Battalion Commander, 3/187 101st, 91-93. I have to say he was the best battalion commander I ever had. Standards were everything. We all were held to a higher standard as 'Iron Rakkasans' under his command. Training and discipline was the toughest of any unit I ever served in. But in the end, he couldn't hold even himself to the minimum standards expected of every Soldier-the UCMJ, by committing adultery and violations of operational security. We are all human and everyone makes mistakes. But more is expected of an officer of his caliber and those mistakes aren't easily excusable. Respect his accomplishments-YES. Same credibility as before- sadly NO.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 16 at 2016 4:27 PM

2016-06-16T16:27:05-04:00

He was my CG at Fort Campbell. I still respect him when it comes to wardighting, esp when it is the complex stuff like COIN. He is incredibly smart. But when he screwed up, he went big. I still think he'll still get more punishment than Hillary will.

I second the others when they say about gun control... Not so much there. He should go back and talk about hunting/killing terrorists. I like that Petraeus.

Response by LTC Jesse Edwards made Jun 16 at 2016 10:32 PM

2016-06-16T22:32:03-04:00

His affair dinged him in my eyes. His sharing classified material with his lover so that she, a Major, could write a better book dinged him in my eyes. But I knew people who served with him and still thought he would make a great SECDEF. However, his going after guns at the risk of damaging Second Amendment rights makes him nearly irredeemable in my book. We swore to defend the Constitution, not launch insipid attacks on it.

Response by MAJ Robert Ball made Jun 17 at 2016 7:48 AM

2016-06-17T07:48:56-04:00

How many soldiers were charged with adulterous and punished under him during his years of service? Hypocrite if any. Don't tolerate liars. Dis honored our profession. Brilliant but flawed.

Response by LTC George Morgan made Jun 17 at 2016 12:18 PM

2016-06-17T12:18:08-04:00

SSG Aaron Smith: It is spelt Shakespeare and your 2" is "Much Ado About Nothing". "My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: Words without thoughts never to heaven go" — William Shakespeare

To others here and elsewhere in this particular arena:

Yes, the General screwed up (No pun intended) but don't tell me the man should leave all his achievements behind because of that which many of you do whilst away from home. "when the cats away the mice shall play".

GEN Petraeus (Ret) is one smart man who did a great job in his Command. Further, if he is for Gun Control he gets my vote. The NRA interpretation of the 2nd Amendment is a blasphemous lie of a misread document. Its architects wrote it in an era when Militias were necessary. Today they are not.

We have an Army, Navy, Air Force and Coastguard, on both sides of the pond, of which we can be proud. But when you transition to civilian life: You leave your big toys behind and size down. Yes have a weapon designed either for sport or hunting, but the AR-15 is a weapon that has killed too many of our people and can hardly be referred to as a "Sport Weapon." I site Orlando as a recent example.

As a retired Operating Room Registered Nurse, I have spent too many days and nights putting your family members back together again. I can assure you: it is not a pleasant experience seeing them bleed out and die on the OR Table. Yes, saving the life of a bullet ridden body is a surgical success but we, the Surgical Team, are deprived of any elation because it should not have been necessary in the first place!

Response by Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 17 at 2016 8:08 PM

2016-06-17T20:08:52-04:00

He has more credibility than a certain Presidential candidate who did far worse than he did.

Response by Capt Troop Emonds made Jun 17 at 2016 9:22 PM

2016-06-17T21:22:20-04:00

Yes, he certainly made a big mistake in that horrible canyon where he lost his bearing when thinking with his little head when he knew clearly when hormones are flowing the little head pretty much tends to dominate.

Response by Maj Chris Clark made Jun 19 at 2016 2:03 PM

2016-06-19T14:03:05-04:00

Let me see:
1. Adultery;
2. Intentional release of classified to unauthorized personnel;
3. Advocates gun control.
No. In my opinion, he has squandered ant credibility he may have earned by these actions.
Reputation- fatally damaged.
Chance for recovery? Highly unlikely.